“I received a very strong personal revelation, telling me that this is the answer to my prayers”

By: Patricia Gausnell

My husband and I joined the church as newlyweds when I was 18 years old. I had a strong testimony as soon as I started studying the gospel, and when I learned about the Word of Wisdom, it was not hard for me to accept it. But the parts about meat didn’t mean a lot to me then. I realize that I had never in my life thought for a moment that our diets might have something to do with our health.

One day when I was 24 and going through a difficult time in my life, I happened to pick up two Prevention magazines (a publication devoted to good health practices.) I read them from cover to cover, and was amazed. It was like a bright light went on in me, opening up a whole new world. I became obsessed with nutrition and natural healing. I studied everything I could get my hands on about health. I spent hours at the supermarket, reading labels.

At that time we had two children who had been raised on Carnation Milk and antibiotics. We went on to have 6 more, including a set of triplets, none of whom ever needed an antibiotic. The triplets were born healthy and we took two of them home at 3 days old, and the other at 11 days.

I bought a wheat grinder and used only whole grains in cooking. I grew a large organic garden every year and preserved as much of our food as possible. We also raised some of our own meat, milk and eggs. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to eat less meat, but my husband and I were both from families of macho hunters and farmers. So I didn’t always try very hard. For a period of time, I did try to be more vegetarian. I remember one time my son said, “Mom, I am a 125 pound quarterback; I need steaks and roasts.”

In spite of the fact that I have studied nutrition for nearly 50 years, in the past few years, I had become very confused about what we should eat. I tried nearly every diet that came along. The Atkins diet, the Slender Lady diet, the Wheat Belly diet, the Ketogenic diet, the Undoctored diet, and the Plant Paradox diet. I usually could lose a few pounds, but not nearly as much as needed. And I never felt very good about them, because none of them went along with the Word of Wisdom.

For the past year or two, I have fasted and prayed a lot about what I should eat. I knew I should trust the Lord that the revelation He gave us was still what He wanted us to do. But I have worried that all this gluten free stuff might be right, and that a high fat diet might be best for us. So many of our relatives and friends are convinced that grains are bad and should never be eaten. And that carbs are bad for us. But in spite of all this fasting and praying, I did not feel I had received an answer.

About 6 months ago, a member of our stake told me about a series of classes being held in our town called Total Health Improvement Program. This is associated with the Blue Zones Project, which focuses on zones in the world where people commonly live to be over 100. Some wonderful people in our community have developed these classes that teach how to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet. The classes are held at the Seventh Day Adventist Better Living Center, but are run by others.

My friend, who I have served with in the Stake Family History Center for many years, told me that she had lost 25 pounds after going vegan. She began to bring tasty vegan dishes to our staff meeting luncheons. I began to think about trying it again.

Then I learned that my sister and my cousin, as well as several other church member friends, were taking this class. So I went to a couple of them and was impressed. I began to talk to my husband about it.

One day my husband was telling me how tired he was of his health issues, and said he might even be willing to try going vegan. He said he would attend the classes with me.

That was about two months ago. We are attending this 14-week session of weekly classes and have changed our diets a lot. We have been almost completely whole food plant based. There is a lot to learn. We are experimenting with new foods and recipes.

About a month ago I was visiting with one of the members who has taken this class. She told me about the Discovering the Word of Wisdom Facebook page. I immediately went to it and watched the videos and studied everything on it. I was thrilled. Then I decided to read the Word of Wisdom again. As I read it, I received a very strong personal revelation, telling me that this is the answer to my prayers. I had wondered why it seemed the answers weren’t coming before.

Perhaps I needed to go through this time of prayer and study to be prepared for the answer. And I am so grateful to all the people who have worked and sacrificed to make all this information available.

One thing that came to me is how Heavenly Father is mindful of the sparrow that falls. So how does he feel about the millions of chickens that spend their entire lives in tiny cages? And the millions of male chickens that are killed on the day they are hatched because they can’t lay eggs. And the cows that spend their entire adult lives pregnant and lactating and hooked up to machines. And all the many other awful things that happen in the animal food industry.

So I think that is one big reason that it is pleasing to Him that we should not use them, but only in times of cold and winter and famine. Not only is it better for the animals, it is better for us as well.

One challenge for me is that I still think I might be gluten intolerant. I am eating grains, but am having trouble with intestinal bloating. And of course, we are eating legumes. They say the gas problem solves itself in time, but it isn’t happening soon enough for me. [Note from Jane: Gas is common (though temporary) when switching to a high fiber diet. Check this out for help!]

Here are some positive results of our changes. My allergies, which I have had all my life, are way better. These past two months of springtime weather are often the times they are the worst, but I am much better. I also think my husband’s health problems are lessening.

I feel very positive about all this and feel sure this is how the rest of my life will be. I also feel inspired to begin sharing my knowledge with others. I spoke with our ward Relief Society president, who is also whole food, plant-based, and she wants to plan a Relief Society activity around it, with me teaching about what I have learned.

Patricia Gausnell (73) lives in Roseburg, Oregon. She has been married for 55 years. She and her husband have 8 children, 20 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. Patricia’s favorite hobbies are family history and gardening. She is a Ward Temple and Family History Consultant serving in the stake family history center. She and her husband serve as ordinance workers in the Medford, Oregon Temple and also teach the 12-year olds in Sunday School.